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I love our church. In fact, I think that you love our church too – otherwise you wouldn’t be here.

But what is it exactly that we love about our church community? Why do we gather every Sunday here? Why do we volunteer here? Why don’t we see the people, not the building, as the church? We believe when the Church is working right, there is nothing like it. The Church is not an organization. It’s an organism designed to live, move, and have being. January is all about celebrating what Christ established. In Matthew 16, Jesus gave us this promise that He would build His Church, and that nothing could prevail against it. So, we don’t just attend a church and we don’t just tolerate the Church — we celebrate it, because we are part of that Church that Jesus is building! This month, we celebrate everything that God has done, while looking forward to the future. We have a rich history here at Kfirst, but we believe that the best is yet to come.

When you say "no" to God, you override the blessings He wants to do in and thru you. #IAmChurch

When we say yes to God, we open ourselves up to receiving the good things He wants to do in and through us.

Church isn’t supposed to be perfect, it’s supposed to be home—that’s why we all fit in.

Jesus does not ask for people to clean up the lives before following him.

I wonder how many times I’ve missed God’s “yes” because I didn’t push through someone else’s “no.”

Life is messy. Church is messy. Faith is messy. Let’s get over it, and get on with helping people experience God’s grace.

“Jesus comes not for the super-spiritual but for the wobbly and the weak-kneed who know they don’t have it all together, and who are not too proud to accept the handout of amazing grace.” Brendan Manning ‘The Ragamuffin Gospel’

It’s a dangerous prayer to ask “God, what do you want me to say yes to today?” But it’s even more dangerous not to.

There’s something about having a “reading list.” Usually, around the end of the school year, we see people posting about them or hear people talking about them. Of all of the books we want to soak up, the Bible is at the top of that list. At Kfirst , we believe that scripture is not just helpful for following Jesus but necessary. It stretches our thinking and challenges our living and it clues us into the heart of God and directs our paths. In July and August we’re hosting a summer series called “Reading List.”

Each Sunday, we’ll introduce a new chapter to focus on while equipping you to daily “soak it up” throughout the week. If you’ve never read the scriptures, this is a great place to start. If you’ve never read the scriptures as a friend, a couple, or a family, this will be a great opportunity to begin a new trend (visit Kfirst’s media to listen).

Friday’s challenge: Take some time to memorize one of the other verses that stuck out to you.

Do you remember your verse from Tuesday’s challenge? Today is about taking that next step and committing another passage out of this chapter and committing it to memory. When Jesus was in the wilderness, he used the Word as his weapon against the Devil. The more we fill our lives with the Word, the more we have to draw from.

If you missed Tuesday, here’s an easy way to approach memorizing scripture:

Pick out a verse that stood out to you.

Maybe it was a key word or phrase that caught your eye. Perhaps it was something that connected to you.

When you spend time in prayer, use it in prayer.

I say there’s no better way to pray God’s will than to pray the Word. Not only does it help your prayer, it helps you memorize scripture.

Write it down.

Use a journal. Try a notecard. Post it on social media (use #KfirstReadingList).

Tell someone your verse.

Not only does it help you memorize your scripture, it will encourage someone, and possibly help them memorize it.

There’s something about having a “reading list.” Usually, around the end of the school year, we see people posting about them or hear people talking about them. Of all of the books we want to soak up, the Bible is at the top of that list. At Kfirst , we believe that scripture is not just helpful for following Jesus but necessary. It stretches our thinking and challenges our living and it clues us into the heart of God and directs our paths. In July and August we’re hosting a summer series called “Reading List.”

Each Sunday, we’ll introduce a new chapter to focus on while equipping you to daily “soak it up” throughout the week. If you’ve never read the scriptures, this is a great place to start. If you’ve never read the scriptures as a friend, a couple, or a family, this will be a great opportunity to begin a new trend (visit Kfirst’s media to listen).

Thursday’s challenge: Try reading the chapter in a different translation and see if anything else sticks out to you.

There are a variety of translations that have been created for the purpose of helping us better understand the original language. Most people lean toward one translation and stick to it. Sometimes it’s very beneficial to read a passage in another translation as it may help grasp the scripture or see something deeper in the text.

Some suggested translations for John 3 (click the names to read this week’s passage):

There’s something about having a “reading list.” Usually, around the end of the school year, we see people posting about them or hear people talking about them. Of all of the books we want to soak up, the Bible is at the top of that list. At Kfirst , we believe that scripture is not just helpful for following Jesus but necessary. It stretches our thinking and challenges our living and it clues us into the heart of God and directs our paths. In July and August we’re hosting a summer series called “Reading List.”

Each Sunday, we’ll introduce a new chapter to focus on while equipping you to daily “soak it up” throughout the week. If you’ve never read the scriptures, this is a great place to start. If you’ve never read the scriptures as a friend, a couple, or a family, this will be a great opportunity to begin a new trend (visit Kfirst’s media to listen).

There’s something about having a “reading list.” Usually, around the end of the school year, we see people posting about them or hear people talking about them. Of all of the books we want to soak up, the Bible is at the top of that list. At Kfirst , we believe that scripture is not just helpful for following Jesus but necessary. It stretches our thinking and challenges our living and it clues us into the heart of God and directs our paths. In July and August we’re hosting a summer series called “Reading List.”

Each Sunday, we’ll introduce a new chapter to focus on while equipping you to daily “soak it up” throughout the week. If you’ve never read the scriptures, this is a great place to start. If you’ve never read the scriptures as a friend, a couple, or a family, this will be a great opportunity to begin a new trend (visit Kfirst’s media to listen).

There’s something about having a “reading list.” Usually, around the end of the school year, we see people posting about them or hear people talking about them. Of all of the books we want to soak up, the Bible is at the top of that list. At Kfirst , we believe that scripture is not just helpful for following Jesus but necessary. It stretches our thinking and challenges our living and it clues us into the heart of God and directs our paths. In July and August we’re hosting a summer series called “Reading List.”

Each Sunday, we’ll introduce a new chapter to focus on while equipping you to daily “soak it up” throughout the week. If you’ve never read the scriptures, this is a great place to start. If you’ve never read the scriptures as a friend, a couple, or a family, this will be a great opportunity to begin a new trend (visit Kfirst’s media to listen).

Monday’s challenge: Sit down in a quiet place with your bible, your journal, and a pen. Then, read the entire chapter for this week and highlight what stuck out to you. Get a pen to underline or circle; grab a highlighter to use. What should you look for?

Key words/phrases.

Repeated words.

Themes.

Who is speaking/listening?

Location of the interaction.

For a next step, read the chapters before and after (for context).

When you are done reading, reflect on what you’ve learned. The bible calls it “selah” (pause and reflect upon what you just read). Allow the Holy Spirit to bring out parts or portions of the chapter that He wants to challenge you with. Perhaps you keep going back to something you underlined or maybe there’s a word that your heart can’t let go of. Maybe the chapter stirred some emotions and questions. Those items you’ve noted are what you should take to the Lord in prayer and, perhaps, to some conversation time with someone else.

Lastly, respond with your life. What does your day/week look like putting this week’s passage into practice? How has this passage challenged you? What does the chapter compel you to do? Let this week be a place where the Word get’s rooted in our lives by being more than a reader of the Word but a doer of the Word.

We’re focusing on what the Bible says about the “mind” and how that affects us. Spend time on the devo and take a minute or two to ponder what the Word is challenging you to do.

Matthew 12:33-34

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

You may already know that October is Breast Cancer awareness month. There is a group doing a special event auctioning three unique pieces of furniture. All the proceeds of the sale will go towards Breast Cancer awareness charities.
You can see the details here:http://www.regencyshop.com/charity-auction.html